The Rocks Sydney, What Makes it One of the Best Tourist Attractions in Australia

The Rocks Sydney is rich in tourist attractions and vantage points. A combination of old and new, it is a must see place for anyone visiting or living in Sydney.

The Rocks in Sydney is the birth place of the largest Australian city. This is where it all started. Arthur Phillip landed on these shores on 26 January 1788.

It is today one of the most sought after tourist attractions in Australia.

The Rocks is a city of contrasts, traditional and modern, fresh and dated, cool and ugly.

It's a precious gem and, like all gems, it had been rough before becoming shiny.

Just like a pearl which takes shape from a grain of dust. Its shell grows new layers to engulf it and form a treasured jewel.

That grain of dust is still buried deep inside it. You can discover it by taking a closer look at all buildings, the tiny cobbled streets and the museums.

Look carefully at the buildings. Here and there mural designs cover their walls and remind passers-by about the city's old life.

Its past is there for everyone to see.

If you are interested in the past, click on the image on your right to read more about The Rocks, its history and its museums where you can get the past revived.

The Rocks Sydney - Old and New

The Rocks is a fresh mixture of old and new.

Old rugged pavement, narrow lanes between two walls which are not exactly high. But when they squash in a tiny alley they gain a lot of height. And make the lane even more narrow and dark.

You walk through and wonder if, maybe, there's a ghost at its end...

...there are a lot of ghost stories in the Rocks. Book a tour a listen to them.Old buildings and modern decor. Sometimes vintage. It's like losing yourself in time.

Step into small bookshops gleaming with neatness, clean to perfection. Books carefully set on shelves, not too many, to let you browse, reach for them and hold in your hands. Appreciate them and make them yours. Little hand written notes pinned to the shelf below each book describe lovingly why you should buy and read them.

Go back to the streets and look around. There is so much to see and learn about Sydney.

A creative designer has captured the most important moments of the Rocks timeline on this wall painting: the settlement, the trading past, the building of the Harbour Bridge.

Update April 2014 - Eve from Blue Mountains wrote to us and clarified who the designer is:

Hello,I just wanted to let you know the name of the designer/artist who painted the historical mural off Argyle Street, The Rocks Sydney. It is Michael Lynn, he is my partner and we just came across your great site whilst trying to compile a more comprehensive portfolio for Michael who has managed to thus far miss the age of computers!

Thank you,Eve.

The Rocks has gone through decades of development. But it has kept its character.

The difference between this old jewel and the neighbouring line up of office towers is striking.

And unlike other cities elsewhere that have replaced their colourful past with imposing buildings of a more modern era, The Rocks is not shying away from its convicts related times.

Visit the Rocks Discovery Museum and take time to read the convicts stories.

Then discover all the modern attractions of today's most visited suburb in Sydney by tourists arriving on a cruise or flying in.